Livid Storms
Chapter 1 (Storm's PoV) Storm's fur was fluffed up against the spray of the storm. Thunder boomed high over the trees, no more than a few miles from where she was. The air smelled of salt and her eyes burned. Leaves and debris from trees and bushes hit her in the face and tore at her pelt. Her paws bled from stepping on rocks and twigs. She bounded over to the nearest hedge, which was almost gone. She shut her eyes tightly and prayed she wouldn't die. She peeped out from under the hedge just in time to see four cats crash through the trees, one muscular and dark brown, two silver tabbies and a massive dark brown tabby tom. Through the spray of salty water, she could see they were heading towards her. Once they reached her, though they didn't say anything, the two silver tabbies hauled her up onto her paws and dashed back into the trees under the cover of the acacia canopy. The canopy held off the storm for a little bit, but it quickly stomped like a bull in a china shop, knocking down hundred-year-old trees to the ground. The cats took off running faster, finally reaching what looked like camp. It was sheltered by strong palm trees and oak trunks. The entrance was of stone, carved from what looked like a stream. The two cats pushed Storm through the entrance and into darkness. Her eyes couldn't adjust before a bright fire flared in the corner of her eye then falter. She spun around, huddling back into a corner. Around her, hundreds of sparkling amber and green eyes stared at her from the shadows. At least 10 kittens bundled from a den, toppling over one another to get a better look at Storm. "What is it like out there?" "What's happening?" "Did you get hurt?" "Hey! Get away from her. You can obviously tell she's hurt." A husky voice sounded behind the cats, and Storm turned to see a large reddish-brown tom. His amber eyes blazed from the flicker of the light, and his muzzle was scarred. He was no bigger than Storm, only his paws looked the size of Storm's head. "Who are you and why did Blizzardstar bring you here?" Storm tried to stand up, but a growling in her stomach made her shrink back. "My name's S-storm. I'm a rogue." The cats around her -well some of them- laughed and coughed loudly. The fire roared on the far side of camp closest to the entrance. "Well, I'm Foxstep, and I am beyond curious as to why Blizzardstar brought you here. I won't question you anymore until Honeyleaf has had a look at you." He gestured to the kits to take her to the medicine den. The kittens bundled around her paws and tried climbing on her shoulders. Storm felt a warm sense of comfort when the kittens brushed up against her. She realized they were leading her to a small crook in the side of camp; she could hear a cat inside, busily sorting plants. "Darn it, StarClan. I don't have enough catmint. Why is the yarrow with the bindweed? The kits need to stop... hello?" The cat called. She was a pretty light brown tabby she cat with blue eyes. Her paws busily worked at the plants while she tried to look and see who was there. Storm squinted to see through the darkness. "Who are you?" the cat demanded. "I'm Storm. I was brought here by your friends." The cat looked startled. "Why in the name of... whatever. I'm Honeyleaf, nice to meet you. Why that sure is an ugly gash there. How did this happen, do you know?" "Well, I got caught in the storm and a branch hit my side. I think that is how I got it." Honeyleaf scanned her leg for signs of infection. "Well, now there is no infection, but I would recommend you put snow on it to stop blood flow. I'll have the apprentices bring you some. Acornpaw, Leafpaw, Shadowpaw, I need you to get me some snow." Three cats, hardly bigger than the kittens, poked their heads through the entrance. "Wow, ok Honeyleaf. We're on it." The apprentices dashed off, later returning with oak leaves covered in snow. Honeyleaf pushed Storm towards a nest made from moss and feathers. The grabbed a pawful of snow and padded it gently onto the wound. It turned red almost instantly and melted down Storm's fur. "Gosh, I hope this is enough." She grabbed pawful after pawful, until the bleeding finally subsided and now more snow was left on the leaves. Chapter 2 (Foxstep's PoV) Foxstep tried so hard to quietly walk into Storm's den, which had been made nice and warm by the apprentices. When he walked in, Storm was sound asleep. Her beautiful blue eyes were closed and her ears twitched as if she was dreaming. Foxstep silently sighed. He found her slightly attractive. Her shook his head. No, I am the deputy. I can't fall in love with a she-cat I hardly know. ''He sat silently for a longer while until Storm stirred and woke up. Foxstep tried slowly backing out of the den but was too late when Storm saw him. "Were you watching me? Foxstep, go!" Foxstep stopped in his tracks. "No, Storm. I came here to politely, and I stress it, ask you to take me to your former residence. I would like to meet your mother and father." Storm warily looked at him. "Why?" "Because I would like to meet your parents. Is there a problem?" "No, but I guess I could take you. When do you want to go?" "Now." "Now? Ok, but should we take some other cats with us in case..." "No, just you and I." Storm shook her bedazzled head. She was super confused as to why Foxstep didn't want anyone to come with them. "Are you sure? I mean..." Foxstep silenced her with a hard stare. "By the name of StarClan, I am positive." Storm lowered her head. "Ok, fine. Let's go." '''LATER' Foxstep followed directly behind Storm as they approached a Twoleg fence. He followed as she clambered up the white poles. She sat, waiting, at the top of a post as Foxstep struggled up. Once he made it, she jumped down into a garden bed. She started running at a brisk pace, spraying dirt in Foxstep's face. She glanced back chuckling. "Race to my house!" Foxstep grumbled, but smiled and chased after her. They flew past many houses, some pink and blue, and some that looked miles high. Storm finally slowed and stopped at a short house, about 10 fox-lengths high. It was the same colour as her eyes, and the windows flapped open with the cold breeze. The snow was slowing just until a slight breeze brushed up snowflakes. Storm gestured for him to follow her into a broken window leading to the basement. The basement was dimly lit, and a scratched up couch was thrown against a wall. The wallpaper was ripped off the walls, and brown splotches were scattered around the floor. A box of stale donuts lay open on a grand master piano. Storm squeezed herself through the basement's only window, which was almost completely gone. "Oh, Storm. I'm so sorry." Storm looked at him. "Don't be! My mom is here." She bounded down from the sill to a gap in the wall. Foxstep looked through it and saw a fluffy she cat who looked almost exactly like Storm, but the she cat was a dark gray tabby with green eyes. She also had two kits suckling at her belly. One of them was black and one was gray and white like Storm. Foxstep gazed at the she cat, who was staring at her kits, sighing every now and then. "She's perfect." he whispered just quiet enough so Storm or her mother couldn't hear. "Storm, we have to go. Blizzardstar will be wondering where we ran off to." Storm nodded to her mother. "I have to go, Willow." Willow sadly gazed at her. "Please visit whenever you can. I've missed you so much, but I am glad you found me. Good luck making it back through the snow." Stormwas already back at the window when her mother finished speaking. "I will, mom." Foxstep felt emotion welling up in his throat. About 6 moons before Storm joined, both of his parents were killed by greencough. He shook his head violently. No, I can't. It has to be done. Chapter 3 (Foxstep's PoV) Foxstep raced through the undergrowth, his fur catching on every branch and out-growing tree. His heart raced. He was heading towards the Twoleg den Storm had showed him where her mother dwelled. He almost hit the fence he was running so hard. Once he clambered over it, the Twoleg den lasted only a short sprint from his spot. He silenlty padded over to it, hardly stirring the soil. He searched for the window for a while before he found it, squeezing himself inside. He was finally inside when he heard laughter of... kittens? '' ''Oh StarClan, I forgot about the kits. Oh Foxstep, shut up. You can do it. Just kill the kits first. Silently, he padded across the wobbly sill over the to the torn couch. The kits were chasing a ball of yarn that rolled under and out of the piano that still had stale donuts on it. Foxstep coughed loudly. "Ah-hem?" Willow and her two kits turned to look. Willow smiled. "Hi Foxstep! Is Storm with you?" "Storm doesn't know I'm here." "Umm... Ok? What brings you here?" "I want to tell your kits a story. I want you to sit next to me." Willow obeyed warily. Her eyes searched the room as if she suddenly hated him. Her kits, Honey and Mouse, sat in front of him excitedly. "Ok. I came here to all of you guys a story about when I was younger. But first, let me say this: I like your sister, Storm, and I am jealous of her. Now, before you ask why I am, let me tell you the story. When I was a little older than you, me and my mom were caught in a snowstorm. The snow was blowing everywhere and neither one of us could see." Honey sat up a little straighter. "The snow was blowing in our faces and we couldn't see. My mom tried to find a different route towards the Clan I live with now. But she didn't see a Twoleg had put a wood board in a tree, and it was quickly gathering snow. She walked right under it when it fell, and it killed her. Now do you understand why I am jealous of Storm?" Honey and Mouse quickly nodded, horror and fear in their eyes. Foxstep turned to Willow. "I love Storm like a sister, family, a mate. But she has the one thing I have to live without for the rest of my life: a mother. My mom died when I was still an apprentice. You, Willow, are her mother, and you are still alive. To let her feel the pain I once did..." Foxstep reared up on his hindlegs. He bared his teeth and lunged at Willow, his claws aimed at her throat. Because she didn't have fighting experience, she didn't know how to lash back. Foxstep grabbed her neck fur and shook her back and forth violently. His claws were tightly gripped around her neck, and the whites around Willow eyes started turning yellow. She gasped for breath and Foxstep slid out his claws. They pierced her neck and blood started to well in her gray fur. Honey and Mouse stared in horror. "Stop! Stop killing her!" Honey and Mouse jumped onto Foxstep's back. He shook them off like a moth. He let go of Willow as she slid, lifelessly, to the floor. He licked his claws clean, raising his whiskers. "Sour. Sour." He repeated. He jumped back up on the sill. "Don't wait for me. I'll be there before you know it." He squeezed back throught the window and bounded back through the thickening snow. When he returned back to camp, Storm was the first to greet him. She rubbed up against his shoulder. "I'm glad your back." Foxstep looked at her. "Me too." "Hey, wanna go visit my mom?" Foxstep stared at her. His heart started racing again at the sudden question. "Umm... would you like to go by yourself?" "Not really. I mean, you are the only Clan cat my mom knows." "Fine. I'll go." Storm smiled happily and dug her claws into the ground. "Let's go!" She pelted out the entrance and through the worn cat-trail, which was already slippery with sleet. She reached the fence and froze. Her nose lifted to the air and she breathed in heavily. "I smell blood." She climbed up the fence and raced to her former house. Squeezing through the basement window she gasped. Her siblings, Honey and Mouse, were whimpering at Willow's body. Blood pooled around her neck, sour and metallic. Her eyes were glazed and blank, and her lifeless body made Storm shiver. "Mom!" She padded over to her body and sat next to her head. She rested her own head on Willow's shoulder and breathed in a hefty sigh. Her eyes shot open. "Foxstep. Why does she have your scent?" Foxstep's breath stopped in his chest. "Well? TELL ME NOW!" She yelled. "She has my scent because I killed her. I killed her because I love you. And I wanted you to feel the same pain I did when my mother died. It's not fair to love someone who has what you don't." Storm's eyes teared up. "You love me? I hate you! How could you do this? Blizzardstar will hear about this." She grabbed Willow's neck fur and dragged her up the couch, onto the sill and throught the window. Chapter 4 (Storm's PoV) Storm's legs were growing tired by the time she reached the ravine, signaling she had about half a mile to lug the body left. Once she finally reached the camp entrance, Blizzardstar, along with Rosefur and Antleaf, stopped and looked at Willow's dead body. Of course he, or the rest of the patrol, didn't know who it was, so Blizzardstar went back into camp, his patrol and Storm following. The other cats around Storm gasped and stared at her and the body. "Who is that?" "What happened?" "Why is she back here?" Blizzardstar hopped onto the Highrock. The shadow from the inter-twined palm fronds almost completely swallowed his muscular figure. "Cats of ShadowClan, please join me beneath the Highrock." Storm gasped when even more ''cats popped their heads out worriedly. The wound on Willow's neck was starting to get infected, and the smell soured the camp's atmosphere. Some cats wretched, some gagged, some, from what Storm could see, stayed in their dens for the ceremony. "Cats of ShadowClan, the newest member of our Clan, Storm, has brought her mother here. But her mother is dead. Killed by a bloodthirsty cat, cold-hearted and vengeful. Storm. Do you know who did it?" Storm looked at Blizzardstar and nodded. "I do." she confidently stated. "Well? Who was it?" The tension in the air seemed to crackle with anxiety. "It was Foxstep. Your Clan deputy killed her. I smell it on her fur." The Clan gasped. Blizzardstar looked at Foxstep. "Is it true, Foxstep? Did you really kill her?" Foxstep looked at him, horrified. "Of course not! You smell my scent on her because I was trying to get her away from Storm! Storm was trying to kill her, not me!" Storm hissed, her back arching wildly. "How dare you? You ''liar! ''You killed my mother and I-I-" Storm stopped. She lowered her back and closed her mouth. "I'm going to let Blizzardstar handle this. Not my place to argue." She stomped off towards the warriors den, where the other warriors let her sleep. "Well, we must do what is right: bury the dead. Though she may not have been here for long, she is a beloved member of our group and her mother was killed in battle. We must bury her before moonrise." The apprentices, Shadowpaw, Leafpaw and Acornpaw popped out of the apprentice's den and hurried over to Willow's body. Shadowpaw and Leafpaw nudged her shoulder onto Acornpaw's back, while Leafpaw wriggled under her left flank. Shadowpaw worked herself under Willow's legs, and Storm brought the rear. They exited the Clan and passed the ravine before they stopped at a narrow dip in the ground, about the perfect size for Willow. ''Boy was she wrong. ''When they slid her into the hole, her legs bent awkwardly and her head twisted to one side, and from where the four cats were, she looked stuck. And she was too heavy to try to get back out. So they kicked the dirt over her, then spread some rosemary over the grave that Honeyleaf had brought. Storm said her last farewell. ''You were buried like a warrior, and you died a warrior's death. ''She let her face fall to the warm earth, quickly turning cold with the disappearance of Willow's body temperature. '''LATER/Moonhigh' Storm tossed and turned in her sleep, her mind filled with awful memories of finding Willow, dead and mangled in the basement. Her eyes shot open and her heart raced. Scrambling to get free of the den, she stumbled outside with the only light coming from the moon, which was slowly disappearing from the sky. Storm walked to Blizzardstar's den and woke him up. "Blizzardstar? Can I talk to you?" Blizzardstar slowly turned in his nest to face Storm. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose was running. Storm tried really hard not to gag at him. "Storm, oh StarClan. Get out of here. You'll get sick. Go now!" Storm turned around and crashed into Honeyleaf, who barged into the den. "Storm! What are you doing here? Get out!" Storm tried to speak but her words fell silently out of her mouth and into a bowl of syrup. She pushed around Honeyleaf and sat a few fox-lengths outside the entrance. She could here Blizzardstar coughing, and Honeyleaf softly talking to him. Storm's chest welled with emotion. She hated hearing one of her Clanmates suffering. Silence finally took over the camp, and Honeyleaf slowly padded out of Blizzardstar's den. "What happened? Honeyleaf, tell me!" Honeyleaf warily sat down in front of Storm and looked at her. "Storm? Blizzardstar had greencough. He has had for a while, he just didn't know. He's dead." Foxstep was sitting in front of the warriors den. He was laughing hysterically. "Why, Blizzardstar's dead? I wonder who is deputy? Oh, wait. I am. I totally forgot." Honeyleaf hissed and arched her back. "You are a worthless rat-bag. StarClan shouldn't allow your leadership." Foxstep spit at her. "Well, too bad." Chapter 5 (Storm's PoV) Storm collapsed on the ground, her belly rippling in agony. She was kitting. Her first kit was coming, a tiny, blonde kitten who wasn't breathing. Two more kits slipped out, one massive and black, and one that looked like Storm. Foxstar, the father, pushed into the nursery and gazed lovingly at his kits. "Oh, Storm, I'm so happy. What will they be named?" She glanced at the blonde kit, who was lying frozen by Storm's paws. Foxstar gasped. "Oh, dear. Is she dead?" Storm nodded. "Well, we'll bury at sunset. What shall the others be named?" "How bout Smokekit, for the black one?" Foxstep licked her forehead. "And Mistkit, for the other?" Storm lovingly looked at the kits, trying not to look at the blonde kit, who she name Berrykit. The tiny blonde she kit wasn't breathing when she was born, and Foxstep grabbed the cold scruff of the barely a few seconds old kit, pulling her outside to lay in the clearing. The Clan gathered around the deceased kitten and mourned. Dust started to swirl around the body of the kit and Berrykit slowly rose to her feet. She shook out her fur and padded over to Foxstar, nuzzling his shoulder. "I'll miss you. Watch Storm, for a great deal of pain shall come." Foxstar stared at her as she went and joined Blizzardstar, who appeared by the entrance. Berrykit looked towards the nursery, signaling for Foxstar to go. She then dissappeared, along with Blizzardstar. Foxstar dashed to the nursery and gasped. Storm lay with her mouth open, blood trickling out of one side, and her eyes were bloodshot. The kits were still alive, so he nudged them to the next queen, Mapledusk. "No! Storm, this is what Berrykit was talking about! 'A great deal of pain shall come.' No, Berrykit, why Storm?" ''Because Destiny said so. ''A voice seemed to whisper in his ear. Category:~xXSpottedgorseXx~ Category:Fanfictions Category:Adopted Story Category:Spotteh's Stories Category:Moderate